Finding a student who clearly understands their goals, dreams, and the path to achieving them is quite uncommon. Many students tackle their education, coaching, and college opportunities step by step. That was not the case with Kalpana. From an early age, her calling in life was clear: to pursue a STEM degree at one of the top IITs in India.

Her village, Pandhi Ka Niwan, a hamlet in Chohtan, Rajasthan, lacked basic infrastructure, and quality education and healthcare were well out of reach. With a consistently low female literacy rate of 22.72%, Kalpana's chances of an education that would support her dreams were slim.

With limited access to opportunities, most families in the village rely on rain-fed agriculture, but farmers in a desert town face many struggles owing to unpredictable weather. Watching her parents struggle with this, Kalpana resolved to do something not just for her family but for others in the village: something that could bring about meaningful change through scientific interventions.

Gaining admission into Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) Bundi, a free, government-run residential school for students from underprivileged backgrounds, was her first step towards realising her dream. The road ahead was not easy. Kalpana lost her father, which left the family devastated and her mother as the sole earning member of a family of six. Kalpana's dream now carried the added responsibility of providing for her family.

Thanks to donor support, Avanti Fellows began its test-prep intervention at JNV Bundi in August 2025, around the same time she entered grade 11. Kalpana qualified for the Centre of Excellence (CoE) programme, in which academically gifted students from various JNVs are transferred to a CoE and undergo two years of rigorous coaching to secure admission to some of the best government engineering and medical colleges in India.

With Avanti's free, high-quality coaching, Kalpana found herself in a world she had only dreamed of. Side by side with her mentors, she built her own intense study routine: 15 hours a day, tackling new concepts and taking mock tests late into the night. Each day, the goal stayed the same: a place at an IIT. Even on the toughest days, she kept going, fuelled by the hope of something bigger than herself.

While students from privileged backgrounds chose their degrees and colleges, Kalpana and her peers at JNV Bundi had to fight for every mark. But they rose to the challenge: all 50 students of the cohort qualified in JEE Main. Of the 50 who appeared for JEE Advanced, Kalpana was among the 36 who made it to an IIT!

We're proud that Kalpana is on her way to pursue a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering at IIT Kanpur. Her success means her family will have more options, her siblings will see new possibilities, and her parents will know their sacrifices mattered. "I will be able to support them financially and give my siblings better chances. More than money, I want to bring pride and hope to my parents who have worked so hard for us."

Kalpana's dreams are no longer just her own. They are a quiet promise to those who have walked before her, and a gentle nudge forward for those who come next.